Idioms Research Articles

Constructing Global Identity Through Creative Linguistic and Artistic Branding of African Countries’ Monikers

This qualitative study investigated into the complex dynamics of African nation monikers and their profound implications for national identity and international branding. The purpose of the research was to examine the interplay between linguistic inventiveness and artistic representation in 54 African nations, exploring how these components contributed to shaping global perceptions. Adopting a content analysis approach, the study systematically investigated linguistic nuances and artistic depictions associated with each nation's moniker. The population comprised the 54 diverse African nations, ensuring a purposive and representative sampling approach that considered linguistic, cultural, and geographical variations. Data was sourced from official documents, historical records, and public discourse surrounding each nation's moniker, with a focus on linguistic analysis from official statements, literature, and media representations. Artistic representations were examined through visual sources such as national emblems, flags, and associated symbols. The findings revealed a complex tapestry of linguistic features firmly anchored in cultural and historical contexts. Artistic depictions, including visual metaphors and symbols, contributed significantly to each nation's unique character. Notable examples included Nigeria's "The Giant of Africa" and South Africa's "The Rainbow Nation." Recommendations emphasized the strategic use of linguistic and artistic components to enhance international image, recognizing their critical role in shaping global perceptions of African nations. The study also acknowledged its limitations and proposed directions for future research, offering valuable insights into the nuanced dynamics of language and creative expression in constructing national identity on the global stage.

Kenyan English idiomatic expressions: They may sound frequent but that’s not what corpus data show

Kenyan English idiomatic expressions: They may sound frequent but that’s not what corpus data show

Linguistic creativity in the school setting: A case study of Indonesian children’s verbal language play in an international elementary school

Linguistic creativity in the school setting: A case study of Indonesian children’s verbal language play in an international elementary school

Структурно-семантичні особливості ідіом з колірними компонентами в англомовному діловому дискурсі

In recent years, the study of language has evolved to explore the intricate nuances that shape our communication. One fascinating aspect of language is the use of idioms, which enable speakers to convey emotions indirectly through metaphorical expression. Although idioms enrich language and enhance its expressiveness and vividness, they often cause difficulties for people learning English. Among the myriad of idioms, those related to colours stand out as vibrant and captivating elements of linguistic diversity. Colour is an objective quality of the material world, encoded by language signs into a diverse array of information. Colour schemes and their designations are universal elements of the larger colour symbolic system, composed of multiple subsystems each with their own function and structure. As carriers of information about the surrounding world, colour designations are meaningful topics for cognitive, psycholinguistic, linguistic, and cultural studies. Understanding the structural and semantic features of colour idioms is essential for unravelling the intricate threads that make up effective communication, especially in the context of business discourse. The purpose of this paper is to delve into the semantic and structural features of colour idioms used in English business discourse. General methods (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, classification), theoretical methods (system analysis), graphical, as well as methods of logical, system-structural analysis and connections, comparative and dialectical approaches have been used. Results. Colour symbolism, like any other, is based on the peculiarities of the human psyche, on various associations, which are based on everyday human experience, fed by mythological, religious and aesthetic views. Examining business idioms with the colour component we can say that the semantics of this component often differ from the semantics of the same colour name in free use. The meanings of different colours in business idioms were scrutinized. A detailed analysis was also carried out and a certain proportion of idioms was determined by structures and colours, and the corresponding diagrams were given. The study shows the prevalence of the blue colour (17%), followed by black (15%), red and white (13% each). The yellow colour appears to be less utilized, constituting only 2% of the analysed idioms. The analysis of the syntactic characteristics of colour idioms has shown the dominance of nominal idioms (80%), followed by verbal idioms (10%) with adjectival making up 6% and the adverbial being represented by 1 lexical unit (4%). The originality of this article lies in the study of the symbolism of colours in terms of their use in business phraseological units, and a detailed structural and semantic analysis of colour idioms used in business discourse. Conclusion. The study underscores the significance of colour idioms within the business vocabulary, emphasizing their relevance. Proficiency in these expressions not only enriches one's linguistic repertoire but also enhances communication skills. Business idioms are an important segment in the business vocabulary. Colour idioms occupy a large share in business phraseology, the study of which requires further research.

Фразеологічна експресивність у вінницькій пресі

Phraseology is a unique linguistic phenomenon and a communicative component of the language system, which functions actively and changes under the influence of extralingual and intralingual factors. Observations of modern media discourse convincingly show that the language of mass media reacts quite sensitively to the events and realities now, accumulating everything in the lexical and phraseological system of the language. In the article, mediaphraseology is considered as a complex of figuratively-expressive fixed expressions in the media language, which perform a text-creating role, give a special expressiveness, bright stylistic coloring to journalistic works. There are tendency to the use of such linguistic units in the original composition and in the transformed. The purpose of the article is to analyze the functioning peculiarities and expressiveness of phraseological units in modern regional press (on the material of the newspaper “Vinnychchyna”). The main research method is the descriptive method, which involves observation, classification, generalization and interpretation of phraseological means in journalistic works. At various stages of the research, the method of functional analysis was used to determine the expressive role of the phrase. General scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, systematization, as well as the special scientific methods of linguistic text analysis were also applied. Results. The phraseologisms, proverbs, sayings, aphorisms are obligatory linguistic-stylistic components of journalistic publications, a kind of source of expressive and emotional coloring of content, creating a special imagery and expressiveness in media texts. Analyzing the regional media discourse, we observe a variety of phraseological means. They express the stylistics and aesthetics of journalistic speech, aptly create an emotional flavor for a special perception of the text and a more effective impact on the reader's consciousness. The expressiveness of the phraseology relates to the concepts of imagery, evaluation, emotionality, connotation and intertextuality. Originality. Phraseological resources, like modern vocabulary, are dynamically updated, in particular in the media. It`s evidenced by linguistic and lexicographic works. Mediaphraseology was considered in structural-semantic, functional-stylistic and communicative-pragmatic aspects, mainly on materials of various all-Ukrainian publications. However, the regional segment of this media-linguistic field remains relevant and promising mainly for local researchers. Conclusion. In the Vinnytsia press (on the material of the weekly “Vinnychchyna”) we find various phraseological representations of figurative reinterpretation of the facts of reality, which strengthens the expressive potential of the presentation, condenses semantics and enlivens attention. Expressiveness acquires a kind of pragmatics in the phraseologized headlines of the Vinnytsia newspaper, which are less informative, but attract attention, intrigue with their veiled expression, give an impetus to decoding the title of the publication after reading it. Transformed phrasemes update the imagery of established expressions, actualize the emotional and expressive meaning, enrich the newly created context with certain connotations.

Speech sound error patterns may signal language disorder in Swedish preschool children with autism.

Within cohorts of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) there is considerable variation in terms of language ability. In the past, it was believed that children with ASD either had delayed articulation and phonology skills or excelled in those areas compared to other language domains. Very little is known about speech sound ability in relation to language ability and non-verbal ability in Swedish preschool children with ASD. The current study aimed to describe language variation in a group of 4-6-year-old children with ASD, focusing on in-depth analyses of speech sound error patterns with and without non-phonological language disorder and concomitant non-verbal delays. We examined and analysed the speech sound skills (including consonant inventory, percentage of correct consonants and speech sound error patterns) in relation to receptive language skills in a sample of preschool children who had screened positive for ASD in a population-based screening at 2.5 years of age. Seventy-three children diagnosed with ASD participated and were divided into subgroups based on their receptive language (i.e., non-phonological language) and non-verbal abilities. The subgroup division revealed that 29 children (40%) had language delay/disorder without concurrent non-verbal general cognitive delay (ALD), 27 children (37%) had language delay/disorder with non-verbal general cognitive delay (AGD), and 17 children (23%) had language and non-verbal abilities within the normal range (ALN). Results revealed that children with ALD and children with AGD both had atypical speech sound error patterns significantly more often than the children with ALN. This study showed that many children who had screened positive for ASD before age 3 years - with or without non-verbal general cognitive delays - had deficits in language as well as in speech sound ability. However, individual differences were considerable. Our results point to speech sound error patterns as a potential clinical marker for language problems (disorder/delay) in preschool children with ASD. What is already known on the subject Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have deficits in social communication, restricted interests and repetitive behaviour. They show very considerable variation in both receptive and expressive language abilities. Previously, articulation and phonology were viewed as either delayed in children with ASD or superior compared with other (non-phonological) language domains. What this paper adds to existing knowledge Children with ASD and language disorders also have problems with speech sound error patterns. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? About 75% of children with ASD experience language delays/disorders, as well as speech sound problems, related to speech sound error patterns. Understanding/acknowledging these phonological patterns and their implications can help in the diagnosis and intervention of speech sound disorders in children with ASD. Direct intervention targeting phonology might lead to language gains, but more research is needed.

Moves and language expressions of conclusion section of thesis at postgraduate English education study program of Bengkulu University

The conclusion section is a compulsory chapter of a thesis and a dissertation. A good thesis or dissertation conclusion should tell the reader what work has been done and why the issue is being taken. The conclusion section of theses in the field of English language education is a form of a summary statement of the cases investigated. The summary is expressed with certain language expressions, indicating each of the 5-move of the section. The purpose of this research was to describe moves and language expressions of conclusion sections of theses written by the postgraduate English Language Study Program students of Bengkulu University. The study employed the descriptive quantitative method. The subjects of the research were 40 theses of postgraduate students of Bengkulu University which were selected purposively. The data of the conclusion moves were examined based on the five-move model proposed by Bunton (2005), and the language features were analysed based on Morley (2014). The results show that move 3 (Practical application/implications/recommendations embedded elsewhere) and move 4 (recommendations for future research embedded elsewhere) were used by 33 authors (88%) and 35 authors (77.5%) respectively. However, the move formats of the conclusion section were widely varied, nonconforming to Bunton’s model. The language expressions used in the majority of the conclusion sections have adhered to guidelines proposed by Morley (2014), but many authors tended to choose weaker language expressions to emphasize the points. This study concludes that five Move Models of the conclusion section proposed by Bunton (2014) have not been reflected markedly in most of the thesis conclusion sections written by the Postgraduate English Language Study Program students of Bengkulu University, although some moves have been written in suitable language expressions.

Comparative Analysis of Online Translators in the Machine Translation System

The article presents a comparative analysis of various online translators in the machine translation system. The author of the study focused on finding out the effectiveness and accuracy of the translation, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the three most common online translators: Google Translate, DeepL and Microsoft Translator. The article begins with an overview of current trends in the field of machine translation and the need for online translations based on this context. The research methodology is selected in the article, in particular, the selection of individual online translators for comparison and the criteria for evaluating their work. The researcher analyzes the quality of translations for various types of texts, including common phrases, technical terms, complex sentences, etc. Attention is also paid to different language pairs and ensuring the availability of rarer languages in electronic translation. The article reveals such aspects as accuracy of translation, speed of work, recognition of context and idiomatic expressions, availability of additional functions and capabilities that ensure better translation quality. The author thoroughly highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each system, provides clear information about the use of integrations, available functions and additional capabilities of each translator. In the final part of the article, the author provides conclusions and recommendations regarding the use of online translators in the machine translation system. The research highlights that each electronic translator has its own advantages and limitations, and the choice depends on the specific needs of the user. In addition, the author emphasizes the need for constant updating and improvement of online translators to increase their accuracy and efficiency. This comparative analysis will help simplify the selection of the optimal translation software for users who require high-quality machine translation for their professional activities or everyday needs.

Refleksi Pengalaman Perempuan dalam Memoar Berteman dengan Kematian karya Sinta Ridwan

This research aims to reflect women's biological experience, women's language, women's psychology in the memoir Berteman dengan Kematian by Sinta Ridwan. This research uses the approach of Ginokritik Studies. The method used in this research is descriptive method with content analysis technique. The results of the data on the gynocritical analysis of the memoir Berteman dengan Kematian by Sinta Ridwan showed that there are three gynocritical models, namely: (1) women's biological experience, namely women's bodily experience, expressing all feelings, inner voices, women's desires, the appearance of the female body. (2) women's language expression, namely using their own style and language to model women's language, women's language can be seen from the aspects of conversation, intonation, and strategies in women's language (3) women's psychological experience, namely the experience and psychology of the author of all the emotions depicted in the work based on the author's psychological situation, female authors write stories with a background of suffering and madness as a form of expressing all the emotions that occur to women.

Overlapping hearing and communication profiles for the deletion and the RAI1 variant form of Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS)

Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS), a rare, genetically linked complex developmental disorder is associated with hearing loss and delays in speech-language development. Approximately 70 % of those with SMS have a genetic deletion within chromosome 17p11.2 and 10 % have a single gene mutation in the same area, known as the RAI1 variant form of SMS. Previous studies presented preliminary comparisons of the phenotype of those with deletion versus the mutation form of SMS, but none focused on hearing, speech-language, and communication profiles. The current study examined patient registry data and compared two groups of individuals with SMS to determine if genetic differences influence the communication phenotype and to determine the importance of the RAI1 gene in hearing, speech, and language abilities in children. Speech-language and hearing data from the international SMS Patient Registry for 33 subjects with SMS were analyzed: 23 with a genetic deletion (SMS (del)) and 10 with an RAI1 mutation (SMS (RAI1)). Hearing status, otopathology findings, early speech-language milestones, mode of communication, intelligibility, vocal quality, language abilities, and literacy skills were analyzed. There were small differences between the groups for hearing status, otopathological findings, mode of communication, voice quality, intelligibility, speech-language abilities, and literacy. Overlap in the speech-language phenotype between groups confirms previous hypotheses that suggest haploinsufficiency of the RAI1 gene is responsible for the SMS phenotype and that the RAI1 gene is critical for speech-language development. Future studies should include direct testing of receptive and expressive language abilities, including analyses of language samples, with larger groups of individuals to replicate and extend the current findings.

Idiomatykon w rodzinie słowników

This contribution presents the origin and formation of a special type of dictionary containing idiomatic expressions, i.e., the so-called idiomaticon, or a lexicographic record of idiomatic units. The article describes the place of the idiomaticon in the extended family of dictionaries and situates it in a broader lexicographical context.

Correlation between language and cognitive skills in Egyptian children with reading problems

BackgroundReading problems are the most prevalent type of specific learning disability. Reading problems usually result from phonological deficits; however, it is unclear how much other linguistic abilities are impacted as well.ObjectiveTo study different language parameters and cognitive skills in a group of Egyptian children with reading problems to better understand the difficulties that need to be considered in rehabilitation programs for those children.MethodsA case–control study was conducted on 30 children with reading problems having IQs above 85 and 30 normal control children matched for age and gender (their ages ranged from 7 to 9 years and 11 months). They underwent testing for dyslexia by the Arabic dyslexia assessment test, language evaluation using the Receptive Expressive Arabic Language Scale (REAL scale), and the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale, fifth edition.ResultsThere were highly significant correlations between the severity of dyslexia and total language scores, most of REAL scale subtests. Also, highly significant correlations were detected between the severity of dyslexia and the total IQ, verbal IQ, and verbal working memory subtests. The linear regression model revealed a highly significant association between dyslexia and expressive language scaled scores, total language scaled scores, and a significant association with expressive vocabulary and understanding oral instructions subtests of REAL scale. Additionally, a highly significant association has been detected between dyslexia and the verbal working memory subtest of the Stanford-Binet test. Correlations between total language scores and intellectual abilities (total IQ, verbal IQ, and non-verbal IQ) revealed highly significant positive results.ConclusionDeficits in both receptive and expressive language were observed in children with reading problems. Expressive vocabulary, listening comprehension, and verbal working memory subtests are the most affected language and cognitive skills.

The Development of Expressive Language of Autism Spectrum Disorder Students from Their Teachers' Perspective

Improving communication specially through expressive language is the main goal that students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) need to acquire. Students with ASD can face difficulties when communicating with others because they have poor expressive language. They could not even form a full sentence without being trained. This study aimed to investigate the development of expressive language of ASD students from their teachers’ perspective. The researcher used mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative). The tools were a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The participants in this research were 30 male and female teachers from Yanbu and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The results showed that the expressive language of ASD students was very poor before joining speech therapy sessions. Using methods like group playing and modelling had a positive effect on developing ASD student’s expressive language.

Conceptual Metaphor “MEDIA AS A TRAP” in Vietnamese and English online Newspapers

The study explores the conceptual metaphor of "MEDIA AS A TRAP" in Vietnamese and English, aiming to understand perceptions of media in these linguistic contexts. Using the theory of conceptual metaphor in cognitive linguistics, alongside descriptive and semantic analysis methods, the research establishes and analyzes the mapping from the source domain of "TRAP" to the target domain of "MEDIA." By examining metaphorical expressions in press texts, the study uncovers underlying cognitive models, including media as trickery and media as a scam. Survey data reveals similar frequencies of metaphorical expressions in both languages, with 110 instances in Vietnamese and 90 in English, indicating a shared understanding of the metaphor. The analysis highlights significant parallels and distinctions in the conceptual metaphor "MEDIA IS A TRAP" between Vietnamese and English, underscoring its universal cognitive and linguistic significance. Both languages employ similar conceptual metaphorical expressions, yet exhibit subtle differences reflecting distinct cultural perspectives.

Supporting Early Language by Supporting Systemic Solutions

A large body of research shows connections between infants’ and toddlers’ home language input and a wide range of receptive and expressive early language skills. Some facets of caretaker input and early language skills are associated with socioeconomic status (SES), though not all. Given the complexity of language learning, language use, and its many pathways of connection to SES, testing causal links between these dimensions is difficult at best. Interventions aimed at changing parent language use have seen mixed success, in part because “language infusions” generally fail to target underlying challenges facing underresourced families, and perhaps because parent language is the wrong target. System-level interventions such as paid parental leave and expansion and enrichment of childcare and early education options hold greater promise for improving families’ lives, with positive repercussions for a broad range of family and child outcomes, including linguistic ones.

Functions of idioms in English as lingua franca: An appraisal system account

AbstractIdiomatic expressions are not just neutral equivalents of their literal counterparts, but exert some sort of evaluative force. This study employed the appraisal system (AS) to explore the functions of idiomatic expressions and their variations in English as a lingua franca context, and to compare different academic domains in terms of use of evaluative language in the form of idiomatic expressions. To this end, the corpus of English as a lingua franca in academic settings and the Vienna–Oxford International Corpus of English were searched for idiom tokens through whole‐phrase and keyword search. The idioms and their variations were classified based on the AS. The findings indicated that social and behavioral scientific texts included higher proportions of evaluative idiomatic expressions whereas medical and natural scientific texts generated lower percentages of appraisal idioms. There was a stronger tendency in both corpora toward using idioms as appreciation as compared to judgment and affect. Given the employed methodology, the AS could not be applied to some idioms for their compositionality nature.

Dual mastering and labour exploitation: Life and work stories of Romanian women in home care in Italy from Romania

The study analyses the dual nature of mastering in the specific context of home care with reference to Romanian women employed in Italian families through life stories collected in Italy and Romania. This duality stems from the overlap between personal and work time in the home environment. The surveillance of Romanian domestic workers by the employers are combined with prejudices and sometimes sexual urges, expressed through verbal and non-verbal language, to define a coercive and segregating way of life and work, with consequences for workers in terms of exploitation, mental health and dependence on the employers' needs, even to the extent of defining specific workers'transnational relationships with the family of origin and its social network. The processes of dehumanisation and exploitation will be analysed by interviewing women who have worked in care of Romanian nationalities and who have lived or still live in Italy. The analysis of the concept of dor, a Romanian word meaning the longing for what one has left behind and the yearning for what one will no longer find, leads to the formulation of a hypothesis while considering Romanian women employed in Italy in the ethnicized labour market: their being considered as less ‘immigrant'. In other words, as European care givers' flows are not well controlled, it creates more favorable conditions for irregular work. This is a condition of masking or hiding persistent conditions of marginality and subordination.

Research of semantic aspects of the Kazakh language when translating into the Kazakh sign language

The article discusses the semantic aspects of Kazakh sign language and its characteristics. Semantics, a field within linguistics, focuses on examining the meanings conveyed by expressions and combinations of signs. The author delves into the inquiry of the degree of similarity between verbal and sign languages, highlighting their fundamental distinctions. The primary objective of the research is to scrutinize the characteristics of parts of speech in the Kazakh language when expressed gesturally, along with the principles governing the translation of verbs and adverbial tenses. The article explains in detail the formulas for translating the text into sign language, based on the subject-object-predicate. Examples are given that illustrate the subject-object relationship and determine who acts as the speaker, "object" or "subject" of the utterance. It is necessary to note that for successful translation it is necessary first to understand the meaning of the sentence. The article concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding both structural elements and contextual nuances in the fascinating world of the semantics of the Kazakh sign language. It inspires further research aimed at uncovering the complexities and exceptions that contribute to a deep understanding of linguistic nuances in this unique form of communication.

“Reading the Heart”: Cosmology, Ethics, and Language of Chinese Divination as Therapeutic Resources

Through an ethnographic and comparative approach to counseling and psychotherapy, this article highlights the unique psychological mechanisms and cosmological perceptions involved in the practice of “reading the heart” ( du xinshu) in Chinese divination, particularly in the fortune-telling system based on bazi (one’s birth date and time). It reveals how diviners engage in a culturally specific dialogue that strategically influences clients’ cognitive, emotional, and moral experiences, how the professional ethics of divination can influence the ways in which practitioners guide customers, positively or negatively. Chinese divination, which emphasizes balance and a holistic worldview harmonizing society and nature, also compels diviners to pay great attention to reaching and touching customers’ hearts from an interpersonal perspective rather than resorting to mysterious supernatural forces. The focus of analysis is on the distinctive verbal skills and language performance of diviners, with a particular reference to a divination pedagogy manual that teaches communication skills to professional diviners. I argue that diviners’ language performance is intertwined with their effort to win the clients’ hearts and convictions in order to enhance their own authority and legitimacy. The distinctiveness of the Chinese indigenous approach provides a rich contrast to Western psychological practices. This analysis offers new insights on the therapeutic potential of divination as a culturally attuned method of counseling.

MUSICAL INTONATION IN THE LINGUISTIC AND SYMBOLIC CONTEXT: FROM SCIENTIFIC REFLECTIONS TO DEFINITIONS

The article examines various aspects of the relationship between verbal and musical languages, in particular, in the symbolic plane. The study traces the historical evolution of scientific knowledge about these cultural phenomena, and also marks the milestones in the development of musicological thought from the point of view of the synthesis of “word” and “music”.